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#History in ancient books#
Xinjiang is known as the "Pearl of the Silk Road". In 1995, a major archaeological discovery brought this desert land to light again.
In that year, the Sino-Japanese archaeological team came to the Nya area of Minfeng County in Xinjiang to conduct archaeological excavations. Despite initial exploration of the site, very little. Most of the time, the expedition members found nothing and were demoralized.
Until one day, a team member accidentally found an ancient tomb underground, and his excitement was overflowing. Everyone regained hope and worked together to clean up the tomb to see if there was any windfall.
They were surprised to find two well-preserved ancient corpses lying in the tomb, one of which had a brightly colored brocade tied to his right wrist.
The tapestry stood out in the dark tomb, and the team quickly moved it to the sunlight for a closer look. It is embroidered with eight big characters "Five stars out of the East, beneficial to China". The handwriting is clear and intact.
This sentence was too obvious, unlike the previous damask pattern, which shocked all the team members. They all know that the national flag of New China is the five-star red flag. Could this be some kind of prophecy, predicting the appearance of the red flag in advance?
"It was definitely a great find!" The captain was holding a tapestry in his hand and was very excited. He thought it would definitely make him famous. However, the more in-depth results surprised everyone.
It turned out that this phrase was just a tapestry made by the emperor for his triumphant expedition. While not prophetic, the story behind this tapestry is still shocking.
One
When the archaeological team sent the brocade to the Cultural Relics Protection Center for identification, the experts immediately judged that it was a Western Han cultural relics.
The colors of the five stars on the brocade are in line with the records of the five stars at that time, representing Sui Star, Firefly Mars, True Star, Taibai Star, and Chen Star. According to Sima Qian's records, if these five stars appeared in the eastern sky at the same time, the interests of the Central Plains would be greatly increased.
The main motif is two rare birds, with a beast and a tiger-shaped animal in between. These were the mascots of the time, heralding the peace and prosperity of the country and the people. Dogwood flowers and sun and moon motifs add to the mystery.
But what caught the most attention of experts was the handwriting on the brocade. "Five stars out of the East, good for China", this is a straightforward and powerful sentence, by no means a typical literary text. Did he really foresee the future?
To this end, the Centre for Cultural Preservation organized a number of experts to conduct appraisals. According to the Dynasty, this brocade should be in the middle and late Western Han Dynasty, more than 2,000 years ago. It took Liu Bang a hundred years to establish the Western Han Dynasty, so it was not prophesied.
But what historical event does this damask represent? Experts consulted a large number of documents and finally found the corresponding record - this is a brocade made during the Han Xuan Emperor's period to celebrate the victory of the conquest of Southern Qiang.
During the Western Han Dynasty, astronomical observation had matured and adapted. Whenever five stars appeared in the east, the emperor would sacrifice celestial phenomena, believing that it meant that the army would win the battle. Emperor Xuan of Han was no exception.
During his reign, five stars happened to gather in the east. Emperor Xuan thought this was a good omen and decisively ordered his army to go south and conquer the Southern Qiang people. In the end, a complete victory was achieved, a military victory rarely seen in the history of the Han Dynasty.
To commemorate the battle, Emperor Xuan ordered the scene of the appearance of five stars embroidered on the brocade, as well as the sentence "Five stars out of the East, beneficial to China". This tapestry was handed down and became a personal testimony to the battle.
In the eyes of experts, although not prophecy, the historical value of this tapestry is equally extraordinary. It records the important military victories of the Han Dynasty, and also confirms the emperor's use of celestial phenomena to inspire the army, showing the unique military culture of the time.
Next, they plan to send it to a museum for permanent preservation. This will not only protect this national treasure, but also let more people know about this glorious history.
Two
While the experts were preparing to work, the archaeological team made a new discovery in the original location of the tapestry.
They found some brocade fragments nearby. After comparison, they found that this should be the same batch of brocades from that year. Now that experts are excited again, they're starting to piece together pieces in the hope of finding more information.
"You see, there is clearly text here." An expert said, pointing to the new spelling on the fragment.
Indeed, behind the "five-star out of the East, benefiting China", the three words "chasing the Southern Qiang" can still be faintly seen. This undoubtedly proves that this is a brocade made for the conquest of Southern Qiang.
Next, they pieced together complete sentences on other brocade fragments: "Five stars out of the east, benefit China, chase Southern Qiang, Le Anding, Tianwu Bian". This expresses the intent of the tapestry more clearly.
According to the history books of the Han Dynasty, during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Han, the defeat of Southern Qiang was one of the important military victories of the Western Han Dynasty. It turns out that this brocade was made to celebrate the victory in this battle, and its historical value cannot be underestimated.
Piecing together these pieces is a great victory for heritage conservationists. This not only completely restores the content of the tapestry, but also gives them a more vivid and intuitive understanding of this history.
They sincerely thanked the excavation site staff for their hard work in making it possible for these silent witnesses to be discovered. These puzzle-like pieces ultimately piece together the heroism of a general and the ambition of a dynasty.
Three
To further investigate the battle, the archaeological team conducted an investigation into the tomb owner.
The two skeletons in the tomb were badly weathered, but it was faintly clear that one of them was supposed to be a soldier, and there was still chain mail left on his body. The tomb is littered with a large number of weapons. It appears that the body was the body of a soldier who went south with the army and later died.
The other was richly dressed and wore valuable jadeite jewelry on his hands. This was supposed to be the soldier's wife, who came to the Western Regions with her husband and was later buried with the soldier. This soldier was probably one of the important generals under Emperor Xuan, responsible for leading the Southern Expeditionary Army. He fought heroically against the enemy, but he remained in this desert. Now, this tapestry is a testament to his exploits.
Standing in front of the ancient tomb, the archaeologists couldn't help but lament the fate of the couple. They could have spent their lives peacefully in the Central Plains, but they did not expect that they would come to the Western Regions Desert like lonely geese separated from the flock and establish this permanent home.
Perhaps it was precisely because the Western Han Dynasty attached importance to the connection between heaven and man that the general rested in the land of Southern Qiang. He deeply felt that this was God's will. Although he sacrificed heroically, he only wanted to fulfill God's will. Homesick tonight, the wind and sand outside the grave are still there.
Building a grave to bury the fallen soldiers in the hometown of Southern Qiang can tell them that the Han army has achieved a complete victory and that the country is safe. This blanket not only heralded the victory of the expeditionary party, but also witnessed their sacrifice and exploits.
Today, the tapestry has been rediscovered, giving us a glimpse of the heroism of that time. Its historical value far exceeds the coincidence of the five-star red flag. It will walk into the museum and pass on this heroic story forever.
conclusion
History often brings us unexpected coincidences and surprises. This piece of Hanjin was once mistaken for a prophecy of the five-star red flag, but in fact it recorded the story of a hero.
Times change, but history still shines. Let us remember those long-gone legends and remember those martyrs who achieved great merit; At the same time, we should also focus on discovering small fragments of life, allowing ourselves to integrate into this long river of history and become part of the legend.
Each of us can be a witness to history. Perhaps it is your and my little story today that has left a precious page for future generations. When we look back at history, we can also see the value of our own lives.
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